Shoe holder



Aug. 1l, 1936. D.- w, TIBBOTT SHOE HOLDER Filed Dec. l1, 1955 Wayin@ Patented ug. 1.1', 1936 UNITE@ rSTATES zwaarte SHOE Homme .David W. v',libbott, Newtovrn-Mass., assignor to Whittemore Bros. Corp., Cambridge, Mass., a. corporation of Massachusetts Application December 11, 1935, Serial No. 53,909

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe holders.

More particularly it relates to devices for holding firmly a shoe which is undergoing surface 5 treatment, holding it rigidly lin various diierent positions while its surface is being cross-rubbed,

as when being polished, dyed, whitened, or other- Wise treated with a dressing whileheld in one hand of a person who is performing the oper- 1o ation with his other hand. v Y Y For perfect execution and completev treatment of all parts of the surface it is desired-that the deviceshould hold the shoe firmly; and that the leather or other exible and yielding materialof l5 the shoe be supported rigidly against the brushrubbing. For a maximum of convenience and speed it should also be held so that ythe shoe can be held up in the air and be turned at various angles and directions, according to the particular part of the surface whichris being treated.

The invention provides a device for such a holding of the shoe. It is an object to provide so that a person can with one hand hold the shoe rigidly down on a bench, table or other firm support; or can hold it up in any `of various convenient positions, free from all support except that of his one hand,witha local backing .of all mecessary parts of the exible material of the shoe, sulicientlyrm for theV polishing. Other objects are to accomplish this with a device which is so light Ain weight as to be not burdensome to the operator; one-which--can fit shoes of diiering shapes and sizes.; and one which can be made at low'expense as regards material and cost of manufacture.

It is a further object of the invention to Vmake the article, which can serve all of these functions, by a stampingand a manipulative bending of sheet metal.

40 For accomplishing these varied aims in one unitary article, the inventionk providesY forthe making of a hollow cylindrical sheet metal handle, large enough to be firmly and ycomfort;- ably grasped. YThis will stand horizontal, or at an angle near the horizontal, when the shoe which it is holding Arests with heel and sole on a horizontal surface. From the forward end of this handle a stiif strut extends downward and for-A ward, obliquely, with suitable curvature out toward the toe, having sections spreading laterally from its median line and curved downward laterally to alfor-d support for theyvampand toe against the pressure of a brush rubbing,4 onfthe exterior. From the rear end lof :this handle another. K.strut--extends downwardand ,slightly .hackward, and presses backward, to engage the counter near the sole, as by a prong, or by a friction-button of rubber, or by a spread. This rear strut may haverelasticity strong enough to hol-d the shoe by its backward pressure at that point. This strut, 5 based on the handle, may be integral therewith, or may be a vseparate spring bar fastened thereto, but the inclination of this strut from the vertical is so slight that a stiff downward pressure can 'be exerted on it, downward from the handle, l0 without bending it.

`Thus, by ones downward pressure on the handle,v the shoe can be held rigidly down in frictional engagement on the bench, at toe and heel; Vand, `this is aposition in which transverse LSC thrusts of. the brush can be resisted by the bench as wlell'as kby the hand of the operator. The shoe can also be held firm by the hand of the operator alone, when lifted in air, Without the aid of the bench;'and in each position it can be conveniently manipulated to receive the rubbing of the brush and to be inspected in all parts of its surface. Y

`The lmaterial and the manipulationy for constructing this article are simple, being stamped 275 of sheet metal, bent by simple operations.

It is intended that the patent shallcover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

`In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan of a plane blank of sheet metal, suitable for being formed into a shoe holder embodying features of the invention;

Figure 2,'on a larger scale, illustrates a shoe holdernmade from a blank of sheet `metal such as is portrayed Figure 1, and a shoe being indicated by dot 'and Yclash lines in position held on the shoe holder;

Figure' 3 is an elevation of the shoe holder of 40 Figure 2 ,looking from` the left in Figure 2, being the toe Vend;

V; vligure 5l is an elevation of a fragment of a rear strut,similar to that of Figure l2, but vhaving a modiedfform of counter-engaging means, a por- 45 tion of the strut being broken away to show the counter-engaging means in medial section.

` Figure" 5` is an elevation, in medial section, showing a bar spring, with attached handlaeach down-turned end of the springbeingse'cured to 50 a strut, of which .azfragment is shown;

Figures 6. and 7 villustrate a detachable .securement Aof bar spring toa strut.

i, Referring to the drawing, the blankof Figure l: may .be of ,any suitably stiff, sheet metal capable 55 of being formed, by bending, into the shoe holder shape shown in Figures 2 and 3. The rectangular mid-part IB of the blank provides the stock for a tubular hand grip portion I0', the side edges of the part IE) being brought around to approach contact with each other, as seen in Figure 3. The simple and low-cost formation illustrated in Figure 3 is adequate and effective; but these edges may be brought together, if desired, and may be secured together as by solder or by spot welding, thus making ample stiffness and strength from thin stock.

The fore strut I2, I4, I6, of the blank has stock for supporting lateral parts of the toe box and vamp of a shoe. Both of these parts I2, I4 have limbs extending'broadly to each side of the median line of the blank, bent downwardly with slightly arcuate cross section as at I2', I4' and I6' in Figures 2 and 3. The forepart I2 and the part I4 are formed to fit their respective parts of a shoe, the part I2 being shaped to constitute a toe support I 2' and the part I4 being made to have an arcuate cross section for supporting the vamp at the instep portion of a shoe as at I4', while the part I6 may be merely a strut, extending obliquely forward from the handle I0', whose slight cross Vcurvature makes it unbendable. Y Atthe rear end of the hand grip Ill', a second strut I8' extends downward, and has a stiff part I8 and a part 2D with lateral` curved limbs, for standing within the counter ofthe shoe at its extreme rear. The strut I8 20' is formed from the parts I8, 20 of the blank. It is bent downward at its juncture with the hand grip as is the forward strut I6, but this rear strut may extend nearly perpendicular to the hand grip or, preferably, with slight inclination from the Vertical.

In one form, a prong 22' is provided Vat the lower end, for securely engaging the shoe counter as seen in Figure 2. In Figure 1 this is seen at 22 et the 'outermost edge of the part 2u ef June blank.

Another form, seen in Figure 4, employs a friction button 22" for engaging the shoe counter at the rear. Still another form, seen in Figure '7, has the wings of the strut spread, and made of resilient material, so that they can engage within both sidesl of the counter simultaneously.

The portions II, I9 of the blank provide resilient'strip portions I8 and I9 immediately adjacent to the handle, one at each end thereof, for continually urging the parts I2', I4 and the part 2llragainst their respective portions of the shoe. Y

In Figure 5, a separate spring element 24 is suitably secured to handle 26 and reaches outward and downward from the handle, being down- Yturned at each end to be secured respectively to the fore strut and to the rear strut. Y

If the stock I2', I4 is thin enough to be readily flexible it may be'of elastic nature so as to bend laterally, more or less according to shoe size and shape. This can be so, because the fore and aft stiiness and elasticity can be provided by the bent bar spring 24 which extends through the handle and re-enforces the top part of each said strut. Y

If desired, the fore strut, comprising the parts I2', I4 and I6 or the rear strut I8', 20', or both of them, "may be 'separable from the handle, "to permit of substitution of other struts of size and shape 'to t particular-sizes and stylesof shoe; or toperr'nit compact packing of the holder. Figiaosdso ures 6 and 7 illustrate a simple form of separable attachment wherein the spring 24 has its end part sticking through a cross slot in the strut, from the outer side, with the offset tip end 24" of the strut engaging the strut on its inner side. The strut in turn has a terminal lug IISa sticking through a cross slot 24"' in the spring from its inner side. By this means the fastening of handle to strut isV adequately secured forall ordinary uses of the holder, and yet the parts may be quickly and easily separated.

Figure 7 shows also a. lower end of strut 20" designed for the spread engagement within a shoe, there being sufiicient stiffness for accomplishing the strut function, and the spread sides of the strut having a degree of springiness whereby they can engage simultaneously the opposite sides of the shoe interiorly.

The forward and the rear struts thus tend to Y spreadv apart, when set within a shoe, but the rear one may be pressed a little forward to facilitate the insertionvof the device into a shoe, or its removal thence. When within, Y'their Vresilient spreading makes secure engagement of the shoe at front and rear. By the'hand grip I9 one can then conveniently grasp the shoe, in effect, with one hand, and can press the shoermly against a bench or the like, while rubbing with the other hand, or can hold the shoe in air by one hand for treating any part of its'surface' convenientl by theother hand. i

The holder supports those thinV parts of the shoe upper which naturally would yield under the pressure of a brush. It can accommodate a wide variety of sizes and styles of shoes, yet is low in cost to produce vandfis of enduringcharacter. i

I claim as my invention:

1. A shoe holder made from a stii'sheet forepart, comprising a forepart fashioned to t the toe-of a shoe and having adjacent thereto a curved sheet for supporting the vamp at the portions Which extend toward the instep, and having an in-thrusting part with a `portion which, is curvedrin cross-section; a stiif sheet rear part with a portionwhich is'curved in cross-section for engagingsimultaeou'sly with pressure two sideportions of the shoe Within the counter, and having an up-reaching part; and a stiff handle secured to'and between the said ill-thrusting part and up-rea'chingr partyone of these latter parts being resilient but'only in fore and aft directions.

2 Aishoe holder comprising a bar spring having down-turned end portions; a handle secured at a mid-location along it; and a pair of struts, one secured to each end of said spring, for extending inv direction Vtoward'a fplane which is parallel to theaxis of the handle; one said strut extending obliquely towardsaid plane and having a vamp-supporting spreading4 terminalv portion for engaging within the toe'ofa shoe; the other said strut extending,` with less departure Yfrom perpendicularity, toward said plane andhaving a terminal portion for engaging the shoe within its counter; said handle providing stiffness at the mid-part ofsaid spring,l and the down-turned portions of spring, vbetween the handle and a strut at each end of the handle, being resilient but only in fore and'aft direction; the securing means for spring toateleast one ofthe 'strutsbeing a detachable connection; Y 3. A shoe holder comprising a bar spring having downturned end portions; a handle secured at a mid-location along it; and a pair of struts. one secured to each end of' said spring, for extending in direction toward a plane which is parallel to the axis of the handle; one said strut extending obliquely toward said plane and having a vamp-supporting spreading terminal portion for engaging within the toe of a shoe; the other said strut extending with less departure from perpendicularity, toward said plane and having a terminal portion for engaging the shoe within its counter; said handle providing stiifness at the mid-part of said spring, and the down-turned portions of spring, between the handle and a strut at each end of the handle, being resilient in fore and aft direction; the securing means for spring to at least one of the struts being a detachable connection; there being on each of these parts a lug for engagement in a slot in the other part, each said lug having an angular extension for engaging against the far side of the element through whose said slot the lug extends.

4. A shoe holder comprising a stil handle and two sti struts; one of which struts is at the forward end of the handle. extends obliquely forward and downward, and has a terminal portion for standing Within the toe of the shoe, having a top surface for supporting the vamp thereof and having a bottom for engaging against the bottom of the shoe, the relation between the bottom and the top of the terminal portion being such that while the bottom is pressed downward against the interior bottom of the shoe this top can support the vamp sufliciently for external polishing; and the other of which struts extends more directly downward from the handle to engage the interior bottom of the shoe at the heel; the said handle being broad for constituting a grip for holding the toe and heel struts rmly down against the shoe bottom during lateral rubbing of the surface of the shoe; and the said struts and handle being approximately inflexible 

